Protein Powder Reviews for 14 Top MLM Companies

Protein Powder Reviews for 14 Top MLM Companies

Protein Powder Reviews

Since I started my blogs/websites, several people have asked me to do product reviews. I am often asked about protein powders. Here are my protein powder reviews for 14 Top MLM companies. I am not affiliated with any of the MLM companies listed below.

I was going to include these reviews under my blog post – 10 Benefits of Raw Organic Protein Powder – but it would have been a really long blog! If you would like more information about the different types of protein powder; health risks associated with non-organic raw protein powder; health dangers of soy and whey protein; and benefits of raw organic protein powder, please check out my blog http://ahealthfullifestyle.com/10-benefits-raw-organic-protein-powder/

The issues with using a non-organic raw protein powder is theprotein powdermost likely contains one or more of the following: heavy metals, hormones and antibiotics, chemicals, pesticides, artificial sweeteners, sugars, artificial flavors and colours, GMOs, fillers, additives and preservatives, highly processed denatured proteins, and synthetic nutrients which are not easily absorbed by your body.

As mentioned in my blog post about raw organic protein powder, my purpose for writing this blog is not to bash other companies but educate you about protein powders and the potential health risks associated with the ingredients used in many of them. The protein powder reviews are in no particular order.

Common Ingredients

First, I would like to talk about some common ingredients used in many protein powders.

Natural vs. Artificial Flavors

Flavors are added to products to enhance the taste. Many people believe thatnatural flavors are healthier for you than artificial flavors. This is very misleading. Natural flavors are created from substances extracted from ‘natural’ plant or animal sources. However, the FDA does not regulate the terms ‘natural’ or ‘organic’. In the case of natural flavors, the original source must be a plant or animal as opposed to artificial flavors (man-made chemical). But all flavors contain chemicals! In fact, every substance in the world is composed of chemicals including water.

Natural flavors are complex mixtures created by food chemists. These mixtures can contain more than 100 different chemicals, including preservatives, solvents and other substances. Food manufacturers are not required to disclose whether these additives come from natural or synthetic sources. As long as the original flavoring comes from plant or animal material, it is classified as a natural flavor. This can include genetically modified crops.

In terms of chemical composition, the two are very similar. In fact, artificial flavors contain fewer chemicals than natural flavors since they are produced under tightly controlled laboratory conditions. In addition, people who are vegetarian or vegan may unknowingly be ingesting animal-derived natural flavors in processed foods.

From a health and safety standpoint, you probably should avoid foods containing natural or artificial flavors and opt for fresh, whole foods whenever possible. Remember, food manufacturers are only required to list flavors on ingredients lists. They do not have to reveal the original sources or chemical mixtures of these flavors.

Gums

It is surprising how many processed foods contain gums nowadays. Whether it is xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, agar, gum arabic, and others, these ‘gums’ are used as thickening, stabilizing and emulsifying agents. Gums labeled as ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ can be very misleading since they are not found in nature. Most gums are processed. For example, to make cellulose gum, a chemical reaction using natural plant cellulose and chlorine bleach is involved.

Individuals with gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease or small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SBBO) are more apt to react to gums since they have been known to cause digestive problems i.e. gas, cramps, and diarrhea.

Inulin

Inulin is now starting to appear in a lot of ‘health foods’ including protein powder. What is inulin? Inulin is a carbohydrate belonging to a class of compounds called fructans. It is closely related to fructooligosaccharides (FOS). It is low on the glycemic index and considered a fiber since it is not absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. It is naturally found in root vegetables such as onions and garlic.

Inulinessentially serves as fertilizer for the bacteria in your colon. However, it feeds both the good and bad bacteria.Studies have shown that inulin/FOS encourages the growth of Klebsiella. Klebsiella is a bacteria implicated in leaky gut. It is harmless in the colon but once it reaches other areas of your body it can cause serious infections such as urinary tract and pneumonia. Many different species of yeast can utilise inulin for energy including Candida albicans.

The only way to know what you are really eating is to read the ingredients label!

Protein Powder Reviews

Beachbody

Shakeology protein powders are not certified organic. They do not use raw ingredients. As for their whey protein isolate, it does not state anywhere on their website if it is grass-fed and organic. The cows could be eating genetically modified corn and soy. Remember, you are what they ate. I also could not find anything about whether the whey is antibiotic or bovine growth hormone (BGH) free.

The other issue is how the whey is processed. They use ion exchange which is a chemical method that utilizes pH adjustment in order to achieve protein separation. Chemical reagents sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid are used to release the protein by adjusting the pH. This process yields a high protein content – 90 to 96% with no fats or carbs. However, this pH adjustment can denature the protein and reduce the biological activity of the protein and micronutrients.

It also states on their website that their ingredients are globally sourced, whatever that means. Aren’t most ingredients globally sourced? This does not guarantee quality, purity or safety.

As for the vegan shakes, oat, rice and quinoa protein are all loaded with lectins and phytic acid, gut irritants and enzyme inhibitors. This shake would be very irritating to the GI tract.

Both the whey and vegan shakes have added sugar, natural flavors and a lot of other highly processed ingredients. Xanthan gum is not from a non-GMO source. And all of the synthetic vitamins! Not to mention their shakes are expensive!

*Please read my review for Visalus where I comment on synthetic vitamins.

Chocolate Shakeology - Whey Protein

Protein Powder Reviews

Café Latte Shakeology – Vegan Protein

Protein Powder Reviews

Shaklee

Shaklee Life shake mix gives you 25 g of protein per serving, including 16 g of plant-based non-GMO protein. It states on their website that it is a non-GMO protein shake that includes pre- and probiotics. They have a soy and non-soy version. Both are gluten-free, lactose free, kosher and low glycemic. Shaklee is not certified organic and does not use raw ingredients.

If we take a look at the soy version, it contains soy protein concentrate and soy protein isolate, as well as rice protein concentrate. Most soy and rice proteins undergohexane processing. Many non-organic soy products contain traces of the neurotoxin hexane according to a report by a research group. Soy processors use hexane to divide the beans into fat and protein. Rice protein is also typically extracted using hexane from the bran layer. Plus the soy they are using is most likely unfermented. Please read my blog post about the health dangers of soy.

The non-soy version contains a non-GMO protein blend of sacha inchi protein powder, pea protein, potato protein, and rice protein concentrate. I could not find information on how these proteins were extracted. Since both versions use protein concentrates and isolates, the protein powder is most likely highly processed with denatured proteins.

*Please read my review for Visalus where I comment on synthetic vitamins.

Visalus

The shake mix that tastes like a cake mix. I remember the first time I heard their slogan at a trade show. One of their distributors was talking to me about their Body by Vi Challenge. I always ask to see the ingredients/nutrition label when I come across a new product.

First, their protein is a combination of whey protein (concentrate and hydrolysate) and soy protein isolate. This means both of their protein sources are highly processed with denatured proteins. Their website does state that their soy protein is non-GMO. It is mostly likely unfermented soy.

They are not certified organic and certainly do not use raw ingredients. Similar to Beachbody, the cows could be eating genetically modified corn and soy. Remember, you are what they ate. I also could not find anything about whether the whey is antibiotic or bovine growth hormone (BGH) free.

Not to mention all of the synthetic vitamins like thiamine mononitrate (synthetic vitamin B1), folic acid (synthetic vitamin B9), retinyl palmitate (synthetic vitamin A) and ascorbic acid (synthetic vitamin C). These synthetic vitamins are not as bioavailable, absorbable or usable. They are not found in natural foods, recognizable to the body, and hard on the kidneys.

Folic acid comes from petroleum derivatives, acids and acetylene. Ascorbic acid is an isolated vitamin from genetically modified corn sugar that is hydrogenated and processed with acetone. It does not include the flavonoids and phytonutrients that make it work.

Synthetic vitamin A is made from combining fish or palm oil with beta-ionone. Unsustainable palm oil development fuels deforestation of rainforest and endangerment of orangutans. Beta-ionone is created using citrus, acetone, and calcium oxide. Thiamine mononitrate is made from coal tar, ammonia, acetone and hydrochloric acid. It is crystalline in structure. Many synthetic vitamins are crystalline. Crystals in our blood stream cause damage and mineral accumulation where it isn’t needed like your joints.

Lastly, the shakes are only 90 calories and 12g of protein. A medium sized apple has less than 100 calories. No wonder you lose weight!

Protein Powder Reviews

Arbonne

Arbonne protein shake mixes differ slightly depending on the country. For instance, Canada does not have the ready to drink shakes and the United States does not have the meal replacement shake mix. The ingredients are not exactly the same either. I will be using the Canadian labels since I live in Canada.

Arbonne products are gluten-free, kosher and vegan certified. Arbonne is not certified organic and does not use raw ingredients. They provide 20 g of vegan protein but are full of highly processed ingredients, denatured proteins, added sugars, and synthetic ingredients/vitamins such as cane sugar, brown rice syrup solids, maltodextrin, ascorbic acid, thiamine hydrochloride, natural flavours, and sunflower lecithin. And they are very high in sodium – 480 mg!

Sunflower oil is not as bad as corn but it is extremely inflammatory. There needs to be a proper balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats. Sunflower oil is high in omega-6 fats which causes inflammation.Brown rice syrup has no nutritional value and is high on the glycemic index. One studyfound that products sweetened with brown rice syrup had twenty to thirty times the amount of arsenic than those not sweetened with brown rice syrup. Brown rice syrup is used to replace corn syrup.

Their shake mixes most likely contain heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides since Arbonne is not organic or non-GMO verified. I was unable to find out any information about how their proteins were extracted i.e. hexane, ion exchange, alkaline.

*Please read my reviews/comments above and my blog post for more details on the health issues with these ingredients.

Vanilla Protein Shake Mix

Isagenix

Isagenix has 3 different types of shake mixes – IsaLean Shake Dairy-Free, IsaLean Shake and Kosher IsaLean Shake. Isagenix is not certified organic and does not use raw ingredients.

The IsaLean Shake Dairy-Free contains 24 g of plant-based protein. A protein complex of whole grain brown rice protein and pea protein isolate. The IsaLean and Kosher IsaLean shakes contain 24 g of protein. The protein used in these shakes is whey protein and milk protein concentrate (undenatured). However, their website does not mention anywhere on how the proteins are extracted to prevent denaturing.

All three shake mixes use highly processed and synthetic ingredients, and added sugars such as evaporated cane juice, natural flavours, sunflower lecithin, folic acid, cyanocobalamin (synthetic vitamin B12), fructose, maltodextrin, and pyridoxine hydrochloride (synthetic vitamin B6).Cobalt and cyanide are fermented to make cyanocobalamin.Pyridoxine hydrochloride comes from petroleum ester, hydrochloric acid and formaldehyde. It isn’t readily absorbed or converted and has been shown to actually inhibit the action of natural B6 in the body.

Their shake mixes most likely contain heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides since Isagenix isn’t organic or non-GMO vertified. Similar to Beachbody, the cows could be eating genetically modified corn and soy. Remember, you are what they ate. I also could not find anything about whether the whey is antibiotic or bovine growth hormone (BGH) free.

Herbalife

First, I found it very hard to find the ingredients labels for their products. Herbalife is not certified organic and does not use raw ingredients. Their meal replacement shake mix contains only 9 g of protein and 100 calories per serving. The protein mix is 15 g of protein and 110 calories per serving.

Canola is one of the largest GMO crops, so the canola oil is like genetically modified. It is extracted with hexane then bleached.Carrageenan is a processed food additive made from seaweed. It has been shown to cause cancer in lab rats, induce colitis, exacerbate ulcers, and irritating for the gut and digestive tract.

Fructose consumption should be limited. There is also a difference between eating/consuming natural healthy whole foods such as fruits vs. soft drinks, sweets and processed protein powder containing fructose. Fructose is metabolized almost completely in the liver favoring lipogenesis.Basically, your liver uses fructose to create fat. Given enough fructose, tiny fat droplets begin to accumulate in liver cells. This buildup is called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The breakdown of fructose in the liver also causes elevated triglycerides, increases in blood pressure, increases in the production of free radicals and increases in harmful LDL.

Their protein powders most likely contain heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides since Herbalife is not organic or non-GMO vertified. The soy is most likely unfermented.

Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix

Protein Powder Reviews

Protein Drink Mix Vanilla

Protein Powder Reviews

Plexus

P96 protein shake gives you 15 g of protein and only 100 calories per serving. The website states the shake is gluten-free, 100% vegetarian and non-GMO. Plexus is not certified organic and does not use raw ingredients. This shake mix like many of the others I have reviewed contains highly processed ingredients, denatured proteins, added sugars, and synthetic vitamins such as whey protein concentrate and isolate, maltodextrin, soy lecithin, glucomannan, natural flavours, ascorbic acid, folic acid, and thiamine mononitrate.

Similar to Beachbody, the cows could be eating genetically modified corn and soy. Remember, you are what they ate. I also could not find anything about whether the whey is antibiotic or bovine growth hormone (BGH) free. Their protein powder most likely contains heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides since Plexus is not organic. Plexus is not non-GMO verified and I was unable to find information on how their proteins were extracted.

*Please read my reviews/comments above and my blog post for more details on the health issues with these ingredients.

P96 Protein Shake - Vanilla

Protein powder reviews

Usana

Like Visalus, I first came across Usana at a trade show. Usana uses science and athletes as a way to promote their products like many of the other MLM companies. Made with InCelligence technology – sounds good doesn’t it? And a scientific advisory board!!! Yet take a look at their ingredients: whey protein concentrate, pea protein isolate, soy protein isolate, inulin, gum arabic, guar gum, natural flavors, and sunflower lecithin. Sound familiar?

All 3 protein shakes contain agave.Agaveis high in fructose.Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver.As it gets metabolized, uric acid and free radicals form which can trigger inflammation and damage cells. Fructose metabolism also produces triglycerides which can contribute to the fatty arterial plaques responsible for cardiovascular disease.

Usana is not certified organic, non-GMO verified and does not use raw ingredients. The soy is most likely unfermented. Not all of Usana’s products are gluten-free. They also use animal by-products.

Similar to Beachbody, the cows could be eating genetically modified corn and soy. Remember, you are what they ate. I also could not find anything about whether the whey is antibiotic or bovine growth hormone (BGH) free. Their protein powder most likely contains heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides since Usana is not organic. I was unable to find information on how their proteins were extracted.

*Please read my reviews above and blog post for more information on the health issues with these ingredients.

AdvoCare

AdvoCare uses claims of the latest scientific knowledge and high quality ingredients to sell their products just like Usana and Arbonne. They also have a scientific advisory board. AdvoCare is not certified organic, non-GMO verified and does not use raw ingredients.

As you can see from the ingredients labels listed below, AdvoCare uses the same highly processed, artificial and synthetic ingredients as the other 13 MLM companies in their protein powders. For example, whey protein concentrate, fructose, folic acid, maltodextrin, gum arabic, guar gum, natural and artificial flavors, sucralose, inulin, and synthetic vitamins.

*Please read my reviews above and blog post for more information on the health issues with these ingredients.

Melaleuca

Melaleuca was founded in 1985. They carry a range of products from nutrition, personal care, home care, essential oils and cosmetics. Melaleuca also claims to use advanced scientific research. The company is not certified organic, non-GMO verified, or vegan.

Melaleuca has two types of protein powder: Ultra-Performance and ProFlex20. The Ultra-Performance protein gives you a whopping 30 g of protein and only 135 calories per serving. That is a lot of protein! The DRI(Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.36 g of protein per pound of body weight per day. If your primary goal is to build muscle, get toned, increase strength or improve performance, your dietary intake is generally between 0.7 to 1.0 g of protein per pound of body weight.

The ProFlex20 gives you 20 g of protein and 150 calories if mixed with water.

As you can see from the ingredients labels listed below, Melaleuca uses the same highly processed, artificial and synthetic ingredients as the other 13 MLM companies in their protein powders. For example, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, sunflower oil, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, polydextrose, maltodextrin, natural and artificial flavors, sucralose, and xanthan gum.

*Please read my reviews above and blog post for more information on the health issues with these ingredients.

Amway

Amway has been around for a long time. It was founded in 1959. Amway is not certified organic, non-GMO verified or vegan. The company has two types of protein powder: Nutrilite All Plant Protein Powder and XS Sports Nutrition Protein Powder. The all plant formula gives you 10 g of plant-based protein in every 12.5 g serving. It is dairy free and lactose free. It does contain wheat so is not gluten-free.

*Please read my reviews above and blog post for more information on the health issues with these ingredients.

Thrive Vanilla Lifestyle Mix

Protein Powder Reviews

Juice Plus+

Juice Plus+ claims to make a whole food based shake mix. The company is not certified organic, non-GMO verified or vegan. It states on their website that the shake mix is plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, non-dairy, non-GMO, fat-free and cholesterol-free. Sounds pretty good!! The shake mix gives you 12.7 g of protein and 120 calories per serving.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed when I saw the label. It looked very similar to the other 13 MLM companies’ protein powder labels. Are there any whole foods present in the protein powder? It is hard to say. It depends on how each ingredient was processed/extracted. I could not find any information on the processing or extraction methods used to make the shake mix.

*Please read my reviews above and blog post for more information on the health issues with these ingredients.

Protein Powder Reviews

It Works

I first came across It Works at a trade show where someone was demonstrating their wraps. The company is not certified organic, non-GMO verified or vegan. It Works! Shake mix is soy-free, non-GMO, dairy-free and vegan. It also states on their website that the shake mix contains no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, and free of antibiotics and growth hormones. The shake mix contains 15 g of plant-based protein and 100 calories per serving.

Of course the shake mix is free of antibiotics and growth hormones, it is a plant-based protein powder! And no artificial flavors! But it does contain natural flavors. I love how companies spin the ingredients they use in their products to make them sound healthy and good for you.

If you take a look at the ingredients label below, you see that It Works uses a lot of highly processed and unhealthy ingredients as the other 13 MLM companies such as natural flavors, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, sunflower lecithin, guar gum, xanthan gum, and modified corn starch. I could not find anywhere on their website how their pea protein isolate and brown rice protein concentrate were processed or extracted.

*Please read my reviews above and blog post for more information on the health issues with these ingredients.

Protein Powder Reviews

Summary

People spend billions of dollars a year on protein supplements to build muscle or lose weight. But youcannot always be surewhat is in them since the FDA does not approve protein supplements or test them for safety.

In 2010, Consumerlab tested 24 protein supplements. Nearly a third of them failed for quality assurance. Two had high amounts of lead. Others had more cholesterol or sodium than was listed on the label. In 2015, Brazilian researchers tested 20 protein supplements. Eleven of them had less protein than stated on the label. Four of them were made in the U.S.

As stated above, my purpose for writing this blog is not to bash other companies but educate you about protein powders and the potential health risks associated with the ingredients used in many of them. I am not telling you to stop using protein powders, but be aware that not all protein powders are created equal. The only way you can be sure if a protein powder is living up to its claims and safe to use is if it has been certified by a third party. Remember to read the labels!!! Ask the company questions as to how the ingredients are processed, where the ingredients are sourced and how the proteins are extracted.

You want to purchase and use the cleanest, purest protein powder. And the less ingredients the better!!! Only certified organic protein powders will guarantee you that the protein powder will not contain any GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, preservatives, fillers, stabilizers, hormones, antibiotics or any other chemical that could be potentially harmful.

Miessence Complete Protein Powder

I have used some of the protein powders listed above and a few non-MLM brands over the 20 years I have been using protein powder. I now use Miessence Complete Protein Powder. It is certified organic by the ACO and USDA. The term ‘certified organic’ implies the product’s ingredients have been validated by an independent third party. And Miessence’s certified organic raw protein powder has only 5 ingredients!

To be classified Australian Certified Organic (ACO), the products must contain more than 95% certified organic ingredients. The remaining percentage must be natural ingredients that must meet strict processing criteria (no GMOs & no synthetic ingredients are allowed). You can find the full list of allowed ingredients on the ACO website.

Products carrying the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) logo must meet all of the requirements of standards of the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). Products must contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt). The remaining ingredients must consist of non-agricultural products approved on the National List.

Miessence Complete Protein Powder Ingredients

Protein Powder Reviews

Miessence Complete Protein powder is an easily digestible, high protein, low carbohydrate and complete amino acid profile superfood. Some of the benefits:

Certified organic by the ACO and USDA

Organic biofermented pea protein

Organic sprouted brown rice protein

Organic sacha inchi protein

Non-GMO xanthan gum

Vegan & gluten-free

Raw

Hypoallergenic

Environmentally sustainable protein

Miessence protein powder blends well with water, juice, milk, and yogurt or can be added to your smoothies. It can also be mixed into your homemade energy bars, muffins, pancakes, desserts and baked goods. Check out my blog How to Use Organic Raw Protein Powder in Everyday Meals to see all the different ways you can add protein powder to almost any recipe.

Organic Biofermented Pea Protein

Pea protein does not require complicated extraction. The peas are dried naturally and ground to a flour, then it is hydrated. The starch and fiber are then separated, followed by coagulation of the protein. After purification, a multi-stage dryer is used to dry the protein and prepare it for consumption.

Organic Sacha Inchi Protein

Sacha Inchi grows in the Amazon Rainforest and the high Andes Mountains of Peru. It has been part of the Inca diet for 3000 years.

Sacha Inchi Protein powder is the de-fatted nut once it has been cold-pressed to produce the seed oil. It is a highly digestible, low-irritant, and high quality protein so you absorb it quickly and easily. It is naturally extracted without high temperature processing, deodorizing, preservatives or additives.

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Susan Rever enjoys using her education/knowledge and experience to help other people become healthier from the inside out, and live a happier lifestyle. She has a MSc in Biology, botanist/herbalist, nutritionist, aromatherapist, online business/lifestyle entrepreneur, environmentalist/nature lover, health coach, blogger, and academic. She has taught in academia for over 15 years, worked for both the federal and provincial governments in Canada as a biologist/ecologist, and the creator of ahealthfullifestyle.com.